Trip-feeder for car-hauls.



2 SHEETSSHBET 1 PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.-

I INVENTOR.

j zflia gmszdmuzg L. J. ROBE.

TRIP FEEDER FOR OAR HAULS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.1906.

r11: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

WITNESSES. v

mvrrn STATES PATENT orrron.

LEWIS J. ROBB, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HEYL .8

PATTERSON, INCORPORATED, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TRIP-FEEDER FOR CAR-HAULS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18,1906.

T 00% whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS J. ROBB, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trip-Feeders for OarHauls; and I do hereby'declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a trip-feeder for car-haul, or, more specifically, a device whereby a train of loaded coal-cars may be"sepa rated and fed one by one at suitable intervals to the car-haul to be carried to the tipple for dumping.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of this character by means of which each car may be readily disconnected from the train and conveyed to the carhaul, while at the same time the feeding of the cars to the car-haul may be properly regulated, so as to avoid congestion or crowding of the haul, the device being always in immediate control of the operator.

A further object of my invention is to connect up the main haul with the auxiliary haul, so as to provide for the operation of both from the same power-shaft, and to mount the connections between said main haul and the auxiliary haul, so as to provide for taking up of any slack in the main haul and auxiliary haul at the same time.

To these ends my invention comprises the novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Like numerals indicate like parts.

In the drawings the numeral 2 designates a suitable platform or other structure which supports the apparatus. This platform is located at the foot of the carhaul, and carried by said platform is the track 3, upon which the cars 4 are adapted to travel. Journaled in a suitable carriage 5 is the shaft 6, upon which is mounted the sprocket-wheel 7. The chain 8 of the main haul passes around the sprocket-wheel 7 at the foot of the haul and then passes up and around a sprocket-wheel at the upper end of the haul. Not shown.) The main haul is also provided with the track 9, up which the cars travel, and the chain 8 is provided with dogs or projections 10, adapted to engage the cars to convey them up the haul.

On the shaft 6 is the gear 1 1, which meshes with the gear-wheel 12 on the shaft 13, mounted in suitable hearings in the frame. At the opposite end of the shaft 13 is the smaller gear 14, which meshes with the gear 15 on the shaft 16. On the shaft 16 is the sprocket-wheel 17, which is connected up by the chain 18 with the sprocket-wheel 19 on the shaft 20. This chain 18 has dogs or projections 21 thereon at intervals, which are adapted to engage the cars 4 of the train and feed them to the main haul beyond. This is termed the auxiliary haul and ordinarily is adapted to travel at about one-half the speed of the uphaul; but this, however, is not an essential feature of the device, as it would operate equally well without such difference in rate of travel. By the above construction the lower shaft 6 of the main haul and the adjacent shaft 16 of the auxiliary haul, together with the connecting-gearing, are mounted on the carriage 5 and movable to and fro therewith. The shaft is mounted in sliding bearings 22, and adjusting-screws 23 bear against said bearingblocks and are held in guide-blocks 24, so that by turning said screws any slack in the chain 18 of the auxiliary haul may be taken up. The gear 1.1 on the shaft 6 is loosely mounted thereon, and a clutch 25 is adapted to bring said gear 11 into rotary engagement with the shaft 6. This clutch may be of any suitable construction and is connected up by a system of levers tothe hand-lever 26, by means of which the clutch is thrown into and out of engagement with the gear 11. By this construction it is possible for the operator with his hand upon the lever 26 to control the auxiliary haul and feed the cars as desired to'the main haul, thus avoiding liability of crowding or feeding the cars too rapidly to said main haul. The track 3 is provided with the hump 27, said hump being located just beyond where the car leaves the auxiliary haul for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

When a train of loaded cars reaches the auxiliary haul, the front car is engaged by one of the dogs 21 on said haul, and the trip is carried forward by it. Immediately after the main haul.

the first dog 21 releases the first car on account of the chain passing over the sprocketwheel 17 a second dog 21 engages the second car of the trip, and thus continues to advance it. The first car is still a part of the trip, but as it is pushed by the next succeeding car up the incline the coupling slackens, and thus gives the operator an opportunity tion where it is picked up by the hook on the main-haul chain 8 and is :thus carried up Likewise the next car when released from the train in the same manner passes on so as to be engaged by the next dog of the chain 8. The operator with his hand upon the lever 26 has the feed of the cars to the main haul entirely within his control and by shifting said lever can stop the auxiliary ha-ul at any time to prevent the overcrowding of the car-haul or congestion of the cars at the upper end thereof. The cars are uncoupled and fed to the main haul in regular order, and owing to the slight stoppage which the hump gives to the car the coupling-pin may be removed without difliculty.

Instead of making use of a hump'in the track to slow down the car after it passes the auxiliary haul the same object may be attained by placing the auxiliary haul on a slope inclined upwardly toward the main haul. In this case it would still be advisable I though not necessary to allow the track to have a slight downgrade just before the cars reach the main haul. The object of this downgrade is to prevent the necessity of having a continuous string of cars between the head of the auxiliary haul and the foot of the up'haul, which would prevent the operator from watching the hooks on the upha-ul-chain and might allow him to put two or more cars on one hook. By the use of the incline the operator can control the auxiliary haul so as not to run a car down it until the preceding car has been picked up by the main chain.

If at any time it is desired to take up the slack in the chain 8 of the main haul or the slack in the chain 18 of the auxiliary haul, the adjusting-screws 23 are turned, causing bearing-blocks 22, carrying the shaft 20, to move the required distance. As the sprocket-wheel 7 and the gear connections which connect the shaft 6 to the shaft 16 are all mounted on the movable carriage 5, said carriage will be moved by the movement of the bearing-blocks 22, and any slack in the chain 8 will be taken up, as well as any slack in the chain 18.

What I claim is' 1. In a trip-feeder for car-haul, the combination of a main haul, an auxiliary haul, and

a track having an upward incline at the point of uncoupling.

2. In a trip-feeder for car-haul, the combination of a main haul, an auxiliary haul, and a track having a hump intermediate said hauls.

3. In a trip-feederfor car-haul, the combination of a main haul, an auxiliary haul, and a track having a hump just beyond said auxiliary haul. I

4. In a trip-feeder for car-haul, the combination of a main haul, an auxiliary haul, and means for retarding the front car of the train at the point of iulicoupling. p

5. In a trip-feeder for car-hau l, ithe combination of a main haul, an auxil iary haul, :said auxiliary haul driven by .power coprnnaunh cated fronrsaid main hauljand rneansforoontrolling the movement -of said auxiliary luau l independently of said main haul.

6. Ina trip-feeder for car-haul, the combination of a main haul, an auxiliary ihaul, said auxiliary haul driven by power communicated from said main haul, and clutch mechanism between said main haul and auxiliary haul.

.7 In a trip-feeder fer-car-haul, the-combination of a main haul, :an .auxiliary haul, :a shaft at the lower end ref said main haul, and connections between said shaft and theishaf t of said auxiliary haul. Y

8. Ina trip-feeder for car ha-ul, .the combination of a main haul, ashaft-a t lleweriend of said main haul, an auxiliary haul, a gear wheel loosely mounted on said .shaft, clutch mechanism on said shaft adapted to throw said gear-wheel into engagement with said shaft, and connections between said gearwheel andsaidauxiliary haul.

9. In a trip-feeder for oar-haul, the-combination of a main haul, an auxiliary @haul, a carriage, a shaft at the lower :endof said main car-haul mounted on said carriage, a shaft on said auxiliary haul mounted on saidcarriage, sprocket-wheels on :said shafts, driving connections between said shafts also on said carriage, and a movable shaft at the opposite end of said-auxiliary haul.

10. In a trip feeder for car-haul, the coinbinz tion of a main haul, a movable shaft at the lower end of said main haul, a sprocketwheel on said shaft, anauxiliary haul, a-sladkadjuster 011 said auxiliary haul, and connections between said slack-adjuster and said movableshaft. I I

In testimony whereof I, the said iLEW-Is J. ROBB, have hereunto set my hand.

LEWIS J. ROBE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TOTT-EN, J. R. KELLER. 

